Sunday morning. When Shichen woke up, he took a moment to check on himself and, once again, breathed a sigh of relief.
It felt great to be…well, "clean."
All thanks to Tohru, though recently that had him on edge.
Sure, it's normal for a guy to have certain "reactions" when he wakes up, but having someone else sharing the bed changes everything. It'd be super awkward—there's a pretty strong smell under the covers, and it's not exactly easy to hide.
Plus, with Tohru's curiosity, she'd definitely ask him all sorts of questions if she noticed. After all, she's clueless about human physiology. Dragons probably don't have that sort of issue… and even if they do, Tohru's basically a sheltered "young lady dragon."
Shichen also couldn't just lie. He'd promised her he wouldn't.
What's worse, he'd taught her how to use a computer because there's so much about human life and maid duties she needed to learn. Even if he didn't explain anything, she might look it up herself—and then she'd figure out he was having certain…thoughts.
Tohru was already eager about…that kind of stuff. If the internet fueled her imagination further, who knew what sneaky things she might try while he was asleep?
But Shichen was determined: one month means one month. Not just to preserve his own sense of purity, but also for the sake of all his fellow two-dimensional enthusiasts—he wanted to show respect to these beloved characters.
He liked them for more than just lust. He was genuinely moved, wanting to meet them, get to know them, and develop real feelings.
Besides, not everyone gets to meet them, but he has the chance now. He wants to experience the whole process: getting to know each other, building trust, and forming a real connection.
So, Shichen decided that tonight, no matter what, he wasn't going to share a bed with Tohru. He'd been too soft-hearted, always giving in because he hated seeing her sad, but if this continued, eventually he'd slip up.
No more excuses. Not tonight.
He turned his head to look at Tohru. She was still asleep, lips curved in a faint smile, obviously enjoying her rest.
Seeing how peaceful she looked, he couldn't help giving a quiet chuckle. But then, he quickly and carefully pulled his arm out from where it was wedged against her soft curves and flipped the blanket aside, getting up without hesitation.
"Mmph… hm?"
She stirred, the sudden absence of his warmth waking her. She blinked dazedly, wanting to see her beloved first thing in the morning, but the bed was empty except for her.
She sat up, her pajama collar sliding down her right shoulder, exposing pale skin.
Considering she'd lived nearly ten thousand years, that shoulder was anything but "young," but it still looked flawless.
"Good morning, Tohru." Shichen smiled in greeting.
"Morn…ing," Tohru mumbled blankly, then snapped to alertness. "Shichen-dono, why are you up already?"
"Why wouldn't I be? It's morning, and I have stuff to do today."
"Huh? Don't you want to sleep a bit longer?" Tohru sounded reluctant.
She'd grown addicted to snuggling up to him these past two days, dozing off blissfully until daylight. She still wanted a few lazy moments together.
"You can sleep in if you want. I'm going to wash up," he said before leaving the room.
"Hey! That's not fair…"
…
After breakfast with Tohru, Shichen sat in the café for a while, waiting to see if Kasumigaoka Utaha would turn up—but she didn't. She probably wouldn't come for another day or two.
He didn't see any reason to hang around, so he told Tohru he was heading out, changed into casual clothes, and left.
Today, he planned to buy some novels and manga to decorate his study. It was too empty and lacked any cozy atmosphere. He'd been in this world for a week, and it was time to properly set up his little base.
Business at the café had been good lately, so he'd earned enough to at least furnish the study decently. As for his future game room, he'd have to wait until he'd saved more.
He also had another goal: maybe he'd run into some other familiar face while out. Though this world closely resembled the island country from his own, it was clearly different—like a mashup of various worlds.
Take, for instance, the fact this place had two Tokyo Towers.
One was old, apparently damaged somehow, and a second was built ten years ago to replace it. Shichen vaguely remembered some anime setting like that, but nothing too important. He'd watched so many shows that bits of trivial background settings blurred together.
At any rate, this certainly wasn't purely the "Saekano" (How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend) world. Tohru had genuinely stumbled here; maybe this place was special.
If it were a straightforward anime world, that voice in his head would have announced it, like it did with Frieren. He doubted that was just a "first-time traveler perk." He figured the voice's main purpose was for him to gather Divine Fragments, assisting him when needed.
He'd also more or less guessed that the people hosting these fragments tended to be significant characters in their worlds. So if he really was hopping through different anime, the shards would almost certainly reside in key figures. So far, they'd all been female leads. It seemed the "system" got him pretty well. After all, who'd want to cozy up to a male protagonist, right?
Following its logic, the system should identify which world he was in so he could zero in on the relevant character. The fact it hadn't confirmed anything for this one reinforced his suspicion that this was a "composite" world, and many characters he knew might not have appeared yet.
He'd had a week of relative peace. If he didn't go out and try to find people, you could hardly call that a typical "anime traveler's attitude," right? Usually they'd be out every day, scouring for encounters.
It wasn't that he didn't care—just that he needed to pace himself. If too many familiar faces cropped up at once, he'd be overwhelmed. He was greedy, sure, but rushing into it would only lead to chaos.
He wasn't particularly familiar with real-world Japan, never having traveled there. He'd thought of going on an anime "pilgrimage," but had always been too lazy. Not that it mattered anyway; this version wasn't the same Japan he'd read about.
Still, there was at least one place he knew could be a hotspot for chance encounters. It was also where he could find light novels, manga, and maybe check out some games.
That place was Akihabara—everyone knows the name.
So Shichen took the train alone to Akihabara.
Tohru had wanted to come, but the café still needed to open. He promised to bring her next time, so she reluctantly stayed behind.
He wasn't worried about any problems at the café. Tohru could handle everything now. And if some troublemaker or gang decided to cause problems, well… He'd told her, "As long as nobody dies or you don't blow your cover, you can do whatever you need to." He'd even added, "If someone comes at you with knives or guns, don't worry about casualties." He cared more about Tohru's safety than some random attacker's life. Realistically, bullets probably couldn't hurt her anyway, thanks to the perks she'd inherited.
Those perks also let him understand local writing, so he didn't have to worry about taking the wrong train or getting lost.
After getting off at Akihabara Station, he walked onto Chuo-Dori. The street radiated electronics vibes: big screens playing anime ads, giant posters everywhere. It reminded him of all those scenes in anime where protagonists come to Akiba for the first time, brimming with excitement.
He'd never been a serious gamer, so maybe he wasn't super hyped about the place itself—but recalling those animes brought some nostalgic, empathetic joy.
He couldn't help quickening his pace, stepping into the thick of it.
On the sidewalks, he spotted maids handing out flyers with bright smiles. There were also men with large backpacks and protruding bellies, wearing glasses, looking around warily—maybe searching for something. Some came in pairs, it being Sunday. A lot of young folks were out, plus some middle-aged men. Not many women, apart from the locals and an occasional tourist or two.
Why did he feel a weird sense of déjà vu?
Shichen shook off the thought. Maybe a rude stereotype was surfacing: real-life "otaku" images like portly, bespectacled guys in caps exuding a gloomy aura. But come on, in a real 2D world, every so-called "otaku" would be fair-skinned and good-looking. Maybe some were a bit chubby from not exercising and loving junk food and soda, but they could slim down whenever they wanted, instantly becoming a chick magnet.
They just made the sacrifice for the rest who struggled to find partners—such a noble act indeed.